Optimism or pessimism: Which is better for you?

If it would be up to us to say, we would assure you that optimism is the best way to live longer. We advise you to do away as much as you can from negative influences.

In these dark Corona days and time of Climate Change, we are pulled back and forth by the many changing reports and many feel very insecure. Today, for the umpteenth time in a row, the government is coming up with new tightening corona measures that will again restrict us in so many areas. (Positive thinkers will rather look at the new or renewed measures with an attitude of “ah, we can still do this!

Negatively you could say “what the heel, again a lockdown”. Positively you could say

“Is it only the fourth wave of the pandemic, or is it already the fourth lockdown?”

For many it almost has become part of their everyday life.

Somehow it is everyday life. This pandemic reminds us of what we like to ignore: life is unpredictable. Now it’s just being taken to the extreme. {Another Lockdown}

Thanksgiving Day and weekend is already behind us, but soon we shall get some other days of family gathering and happiness. For some Christian it is now Advent (peculiar to the Western churches) and a time to prepare for Christmas. In the old days that period was a time of fasting and meditation. For Catholics with November 30 (St. Andrew’s Day) it is the beginning of the liturgical year. So, when you think of starting a new year, hopefully, you would not do that with a grim, dark mind, but would look forwards with a lot of good ideas, positivism and hope. In many Eastern churches, the Nativity Fast is a similar period of penance and preparation that occurs during the 40 days before Christmas. Normally having a ‘Fast’ a person would take such action to clear the mind and to do away with all bad things. As such in that period a person should also do away with negative thoughts and come to see the good things in life, appreciating again all the tiny bits.

Those who believe in Jesus Christ have the advantage, that there is hope for them for better times. Therefore, there should be no reason for a Christian to run around with the chin hanging on the ground. Our faith provides the foundation of courage to assist us when we have to endure that difficult ‘walk of life‘. Even when the days are becoming shorter and darker, this does not have to make our mind darker and has to stop us from dreaming or going further with our bold adventure and directs our steps to greatness. The light in the darkness Christians may see, they can show also to others, to bring them some positive news in these darker days.

The coming of Christ in his Nativity was overlaid with a second theme, also stemming from Gallican churches, namely, his Second Coming at the end of time. Some people are convinced we have already entered that time of the end. For others, this interweaving of the themes of two advents of Christ gives the season a peculiar tension both of penitence and of joy in expectation of the Lord who is “at hand.”

In life it often goes the wrong way with people when they have too many expectations. We typically do demand too much from ourselves. At the same time, we create borders for ourselves thinking that we shall not be able to do this or that. By setting such limitations in front of us we collide with a bare wall. We should know our feelings have all to do with our attitude to ourselves and to others. But it also has to do with what we want from ourselves and how we want to project ourselves to others.

Some of us are afraid to have some dark thoughts or see such pessimistic ideas as a threat or danger to our well-being.

Studies suggest that around 80 percent of people have an optimism bias, or tendency to overestimate the likelihood of positive events. But does that mean they live happier lives?
Marnie Chesterton – accompanied by Hannah, a CrowdScience listener and self-proclaimed pessimist – investigates how we form our views on what the future holds, and whether it’s better to always look on the bright side of life.

‘If we think things are gonna be good for us in the future, we tend to put in the effort’

Can CrowdScience answer your question?

Let us not forget even when we are becoming restricted, we can use this time of more isolation, to think more about ourselves, what we have done and what way we shall continue to go. Now it is time to think of ways to go forward, even when we have to face certain times to draw back, and considering that tis moment may be totally different from the moment and time of someone else we know. Not comparing ourselves with others all the time shall make life much easier.

In this darkness, dare to step forward at your own speed and with your own capabilities!

Photo by Kampus Production on Pexels.com

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Preceding

In October-November People often too busy with death and the dead

Misleading world, stress, technique, superficiality, past, future and positivism

What kind of attitude do you have?

don’t look at me in that tone of voice!

Some Hope for 2021

Expectations

Your only limitations are those you set upon yourself

Getting up to bring changes into your life

On Positivism

Benefits of Positive Thinking

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Additional reading

1. Unlikely silence
2. CoViD-19 Curation
3. No time yet to relax the CoViD-19 restriction measures
4. Another Lockdown
5. The importance of utopia and how to get there
6. Utopian dreams
7. Thoughts for the day (Our World) = Thoughts for the day (Some view on the World)
8. Thanksgiving wisdom: Why gratitude is good for your health
9. Good time to sort out your friends and contacts
10. Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement (Our World) = Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement (Some view on the World)
11. Offering words of hope (Our world) = Offering words of hope (Some View on the World)
12. God, let me be a light in these dark times

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Related

1. Punch Through: Harsh Life and the Problem of Positive Thinking
2. When You Make A Mistake
3. Seeds, Roots and Shoots
4. Changing World
5. Confidence in the Lord
6. 🤗 A Better Life ~ Sing a Happy Song
7. 👊 Today’s Power Thought ~ Yes, Good Things Are Headed Your Way
8. 👊 Today’s Power Thought ~ You Have Undiscovered Potential
9. Review of “The Future We Choose: The Stubborn Optimist’s Guide to the Climate Crisis”
10. Throwing of the Gauntlet: Quotes for Philosophical Dads
11. The Walk down Memory Lane
12. One Lesson From a 100 Day Tweet Challenge
13. Dancing Lights 

In October-November People often too busy with death and the dead

At the end of October, begin November around cemeteries we can find lots of people on the streets and flower sellers who try to sell their chrysanthemums. Lots of people have their thoughts in this Autumn period by those who are not walking any more on this earth.

From Laura Cyrena‘s blogpost Graveyard Walk

You may not misunderstand us. We feel empathy, and we do understand their feelings, their point of view, their situation. We also know that each of us more than once shall be confronted with death in their life. Birth and death are two main factors in each being his or her life. Once born, nobody can escape death. It is part of life.

All of us shall have to walk a different path and shall have to find ways to make the best out of our own life. We also should know that we too may have an influence in the life of others. Each of us has to walk many miles to reach our goal. We shall have to crawl, walk, climb mountains and cycle many kilometres. Going from one place to another, growing up, we also shall meet a lot of people and become confronted with a lot of circumstances.

We often compare our life to that of others. We have a lot of expectations and sometimes by looking at others do not mind having some jealousy coming up in our minds, wanting things others have.

We put conditions on what we want … we reject things that doesn’t fit our expectations … we get distracted doing other things. {Are You Ready to Receive?}

The world offers us a lot of attractions and often we become blinded by its luring pictures. Most of the time we desire a lot from others and would like to receive even more from the one we call our god. When not receiving enough from one god many make themselves an other or even more gods. All over the world we find lots of people ‘taking care’ of many gods, whilst they forget that there exist A Singular Supernatural Spirit Being Who does not have to be cared for, because nothing can be given to Him what does not belong to Him. He is the Establisher and Master of life. He gives us all the possibilities to walk here on this planet.

When we realize all we have is from Him, when we realize we can’t do it own our on, then He will lift us up. James 4.10 {Are You Ready to Receive?}

Coming to realize Who That God is, does not seem to be so easy for mankind. Lots of people have difficulties to come to recognize that invisible God as the Most High Elohim and God of gods above any other god and above any being. Not many want to see or even look for Him, but that is what He hopes people would do, go looking for Him who is the Only One True God.

Seek Him. He delights when we look for Him and look for what ways He desires for us. We are to look for where He is already at work, and God will bless. Hebrews 11.6 {Are You Ready to Receive?}

Walking on this earth may not always so easy. Often we got a lot of mud on our shoes and clothes, getting wet and tired.

… we should realize that in our journey in life, our shoes get muddied. Life gets messy. Not only our life, but the life of others too. The mud gives insight to what we have gone through and where we have traveled. {Why the name, “Muddy Shoes”?}

Many people on their walk of life love to cling close to each other, and just hang out in one place. A lot of them are just happy where they are and what they do, as long as they do not have to bother about others. Many do not think about the task Jesus has given to his followers, to go out in the world and to tell the peoples about the Good News of the coming Kingdom of God. Many forget that they are to be going into the world, sharing the love, the hope, the grace of the Gospel.

Every year we see a lot of people who think of their beloved who are gone. But at that time when the days shorten they prefer to hold on to fantasies as people becoming stars in heaven, or going to have 77 virgins in heaven. Several parents let their children look to stars to find the proof of death, making their heads

forever fastened gazing up, while final breaths of skyward worlds eclipse with life our fleshly tomb and and fragile pulse. {To stars}

Others have even placed some ashes from the deceased in a teddy bear of their children.Some love to go on the eveningwalks many organizations provide around Halloween.

To have just a taste of the life they once had. Blood in their veins. Breath in their mouth. Tears in their eyes. {Waiting For The Dead On Halloween}

they

are told they might have the stench of the grave upon them. We are told their skin might slough off on our own. {Waiting For The Dead On Halloween}

Lots of people look forward to the Halloween marches and fires, giving them a kick and fanciful ideas they being stronger than those who died. Some of them might think the rotted clothes of the dead might fall from their bones, and they hope to see things to make them scream and at the same time frightening the ghosts as well. It is said by many

On Samhain many lay in wait for the dead.

We are told the fresh decay of our parents and uncles and aunts and grand folk will be the worse. They have had their year in the ground and are beyond any excuse to linger. They are the most reluctant. They have the clearest memories of what it is like to live. They, more than all the others, want it back. They might wish, if they can, to suck life right out of us and feel warm once again.

It is best we disguise ourselves from them.

It is best if we hide our faces with masks and wear clothes not our own. {Waiting For The Dead On Halloween}

Lots of people consider it more important to  honour the dead, because they are afraid they otherwise would do things to them, instead of honouring God Who according to many does not exist. Instead of thinking what really happens to somebody who dies or people having to face the end of their life, and after that life is finished, they not able to take anything into their grave to use it later. For them, as for animals and plants, there shall be just decay, they becoming dust.

All their life they may have thought they had lots of enemies. Now those enemies can not do anything to them. For those who depart us in death there shall be no tears any more. Whilst the living shall shed perhaps a lot of tears.

²⁶ The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. (1 Corinthians 15:26 BRG)

⁴ And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. (Revelation 21:4 BRG)

⁵ For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. (Ecclesiastes 9:5 BRG)

²⁹ All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul. (Psalm 22:29 BRG)

¹⁹ For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.

²⁰ All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. (Ecclesiastes 3:19-20 BRG)

¹⁰ Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. (Ecclesiastes 9:10 BRG)

⁴ His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. (Psalm 146:4 BRG)

¹⁸ For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. (Isaiah 38:18 BRG)

Instead of spending so much time going to clean stones in a graveyard talking at another place than home, to those who died, should we not better use several moments of the year to remember those people, and perhaps even talk to them, though with the knowledge they can not hear us and cannot do something for us. But above there is SomeOne Who can hear and see us. Would we not better talk to Him?

Instead of having friendship with the world, should we not seek for friendship with Him? Instead of being from the world we better would be from God, with the knowledge that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. (1 John 5:19) We should not love the world and what it has to offer with all its gadgets and other attractive things, it being ready as a spider waiting for its prey to sting it to death.  We should know that for all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh or physical gratification, and the lust of the eyes or greed, and the pride of life and extravagant lifestyles, are not of the Father, but are of the world. (1 John 2:15-16)

 

Bad choices, poor planning, and simply not paying attention. … we wing it, we keep,doing the same thing (thus getting the same outcome and wonder why), we don’t pay attention to what our people are going through and ignore the signs. {52 Hiker Mistakes by Backpacker … and by Worship Leaders}

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Preceding

Measure of loneliness whilst time drags

Facing daily events and exclaiming “Good grief!”

Family happiness and little things we do

The belief of one going to heaven

What traditions/rituals/routines do you have for welcoming Autumn?

Pagan Holidays

Halloween is Satanist Christmas

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Find also to read

1. What is life?
2. A Mundane Existence
3. Dealing with worries in our lives
4. Concerning Man
5. Dying or not
6. October month of witches and spirits
7. Halloween custom of the nations
8. Autumn traditions for 2014 – 2 Summersend and mansend
9. Autumn traditions for 2014 – 4 Blasphemy and ridiculing faith in God
10. Autumn traditions for 2014 – 5 People, souls and saints in the news
11. Autumn traditions for 2014 – 6 Bonfire night
12. All Saints’ Day
13. Thought for November 1: To the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
14. All Souls’ Day
15. Thought for today November 4th Going to graveyards and people going to dust
16. A truth to face often to do with time
17. An Escape Mechanism
18. Are you right down in the dumps? Stop digging!
19. Death
20. Biblical Ambiguity on Death?
21. How are the dead?
22. Realities concerning Human Life and Death
23. Where do we go when we die?
24. Grave, tomb, sepulchre – graf, begraafplaats, rustplaats, sepulcrum
25. Separation from God in death, the antithesis of life
26. Mortal Soul and Mortal Psyche #1 Intro
27. Mortal Soul and Mortal Psyche #2 Psyche, the word
28. Mortal Soul and Mortal Psyche #3 Historical background
29. Mortal Soul and Mortal Psyche #5 Mortality of man and mortality of the spirit
30. Today’s thought “Death by being taken captive” (May 15)
31. Today’s thought “nonsense surrounding the many gods” (July 28)
32. Is there life beyond the grave?
33. Decomposition, decay – vergaan, afsterven, ontbinding
34. We have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace
35. Being of good courage running the race

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Where the Tye River meets the James. Unique in its right angle intersection as opposed to a Y-type of most merges. But something happened. It now lays horizontal on the floor of the forest. Photo from Killing a Legacy.

Related

Glenwood Cemetery on Central Avenue Pike in Powell, a very old cemetery located next to a somewhat newer church. – Photo from Life in Every Limb article by Leslie Sholly {Glenwood Cemetery: A Post for All Souls Day}

1. Life in a few Lines.
2. Killing a Legacy
3. You Snooze, You Lose
4. Dreams of Vampires
5. Yesterday … All My Trouble Seemed So Far Away (Our Story Through Music)
6. Another favorite subject
7. Where is the great Beyond?
8. To stars
9. Not Done Yet
10. Farewell
11. Death Death so we want are always greatly interested him.
12. Dead.
13. The Choral of DeathIn Death
14. An afternoon at Père Lachaise cemetery.
15. Why I stopped making up for the dead-Banke Meshida
16. What would be the #meaning of a #limited #life which ends with #dead?
17. Dead Before 40
18. Graveyard Walk
19. SciFriday: Day of the Dead
20. Inktober 2019 Day 31: Ouija
21. Hallow’s Evehappy halloween!
22. Honoring the Dead on Halloween
23. Waiting For The Dead On Halloween
24. Factoid About Halloween
25. Is Halloween a Christian holiday?
26. [tonight we walk]
27. Fences
28. Twittering Tales – Lonely Girl.
29. Decent Substitutes
30. All Saints’ Day/Sunday C: Nov. 1 or 3
31. Ghosts Await On The Day of the Dead / Dia de los Muertos
32. November 2nd Day of the Dead
33. Celebrating the deadChrysanthemums and All Souls’ Day
34. Prayer for All Souls Day
35. Remembering our loved ones – on “Mindszentek” (All Saints’ Day)
36. All Saint’s Day – Visiting a Cemetery in Milan
37. Graveyard Reveries
38. Glenwood Cemetery: A Post for All Souls Day
39. Short Story: A Grave Time for A Cemetery
40. 50 Word Story #25
41. 170 – A glimpse of the quiet Varazdin and Zagreb streets
42. Honoring family
43. Parents honour son’s life with Halloween skeleton but cemetery keeps taking it down – National
44. The All Saints Day
45. Happy All Saints’ Day
46. Cemetery Days
47. Walking around a cemetery alone
48. The Cemetery – Part 3
49. A Few Words on Cemetery Problems
50. The Non-Catholic Cemetery in Rome
51. Halloween Celebration in the Local Cemetery
52. The Embrace Of Thanatos
53. Alex Williamson cemetery, revisited.
54. Cherry Hill Cemetery
55. A Trip to the West Point Cemetery
56. Mexico City: Free for a Coffee desperate to see a cemetery since roaming through a city of the dead is one of my beloved pastimes.
57. Cimetière de la Cité, Carcassonne, France
58. Buenos Aires – October 2019 – La Chacarita Cemetery